1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a corrugated clamp. Particularly, the present invention relates to a corrugated clamp configured to be mounted on a wire harness that is sheathed with a corrugated tube and is arranged in a motor vehicle and configured to secure the wire harness to the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, a sheath member, such as a corrugated tube, is attached to a wire harness to be arranged in a motor vehicle in order to protect the wire harness against shock and interference during driving.
The wire harness to be arranged in the motor vehicle is secured to the vehicle body. In the case of a wire harness W/H sheathed with the corrugated tube described above secured to the vehicle body, a corrugated clamp made of a resin material is attached to the corrugated tube and is secured through the corrugated clamp to the vehicle body.
Japanese Patent Document No. 2004-166403 discloses a construction for securing a wire harness to a vehicle body using such a corrugated clamp. As shown in FIG. 7 of the present application, a corrugated clamp 1 is fitted on and secured to an outer periphery of a corrugated tube T. A vehicle side tab 2a is inserted into and engaged with a tab insertion port 1a in the corrugated clamp 1 to secure the wire harness W/H to a vehicle body 2.
However, in the case where a wire harness is sheathed with a corrugated tube and the corrugated clamp fixes the corrugated tube to a vehicle body, as shown in FIG. 8 in the present application, typically a ground wire 4 in the wire harness is drawn out from the corrugated tube, a ground terminal 5 is connected to a distal end of the ground wire 4 and the ground terminal 5 is secured to and fastened on a bolt fixing aperture 3a in a vehicle body 3 by a bolt 7.
In more detail, the ground terminal 5 is press-connected to a distal end of the ground wire 4 drawn out from the wire harness. The bolt fixing aperture 3a is provided in a given position on the vehicle body 3. A nut 6 is attached to a rear side of the vehicle body 3 around the bolt fixing aperture 3a. The ground terminal 5 has an annular electrical contact portion 5a with a circular aperture 5b. The circular aperture 5b in the contact portion 5a is superimposed on the bolt fixing aperture 3a and the bolt 7 is inserted into the apertures 5a and 3a. Then, the nut 7 is screwed onto the bolt 7 to secure the bolt 7 to the vehicle body 3. Thus, the ground terminal 5 is contacted to and grounded to the vehicle body 3.
However, it is necessary not only to provide the bolt fixing aperture 3a in the vehicle body in order to perform the ground connection by using the ground wire 4 but also to carry out the step of press-connecting the ground terminal 5 to the exposed core wire of the ground wire 4 and the step of fastening the ground wire 5 on the vehicle body 3 by means of the bolt 7 and nut 6. Consequently, there is the disadvantage that these steps require much time and manpower. In particular, since there are ten to fifty positions on average to be connected to the ground in a motor vehicle and there are about a thousand positions to be fastened by the bolts in a motor vehicle, reduction of the step of fastening the bolts has been eagerly required in order to improve efficiency.
Since the step of ground-connecting the wire harness W/H to the vehicle body is independent of the step of securing the wire harness to the vehicle body, this will lower efficiency in assembly. In addition, since the ground connection on the vehicle body requires many ground terminal 5, bolts 7, and nuts 6, and the attachment to the vehicle body requires the corrugated clamps 1, there are disadvantages in that the number of parts, the cost, and the weight will be excessively high.